Expert: Scott Valentine - 2/15/2008

Question
Hi,
I am trying to flatten my layers but I lose the layer effects like drop shadows and bevel and emboss when I flatten. I tried creating a new layer underneath the layer with effects and hitting ctrl e to merge them and keep the effects but I lose them like this as well.

What can I do to keep the effects?

Answer
Hi Bernard, and thanks for your question. There is a neat little trick that will get your flat layers and still allow you to keep your layer effects editable.

Make visible the layers and effects you want to see, create a new, empty layer at the top of your layer stack, and make sure it's highlighted. Then press CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E (Cmd+Shift+Opt+E for Mac) to copy/merge visible. This will create a "snapshot" of everything that's visible without flattening your file (which removes any chance of being able to change the layer effects later).

You can do this for several effects and even preserve transparency, so you can blend these merged layers later on.

I hope this helps! If you have further questions, please ask :)

-Scott